Tian'an Men Square & Teashop...

Got the bikes again and went down to Tian'an Men Square via the Legation quarter. Went past the old British Embassy again, but didn't stop this time, so didn't get chased off. Bugger. Tried to see the back of the building around the corner, but we were unsure which one was the right one. Happy with what we know though.

We then got to the square, parked up the bikes, and went for a wander past Mao's Mausoleum. The statues out the front were quite impressive, much like the Russian Communist style statue. The mausoleum was shut, only open in the mornings, but who knows, you could just be looking at an empty box, so we aren't too fussed we didn't get a look in. We then went past the old gates in the wall around Beijing, which are quite impressive. The wall no longer exists, but the gates are quite imposing and colourful, and because the tunnels that are under the massive buildings afford some shade, and also create a wind tunnel which gives some relief from the oppressive heat, people mill about resting, sleeping and generally chilling out. We do find it very amusing that they don't seem to do nappies here, instead they just put a slit in the kids pants for easy access. Simple potty training.

Also found the zero point for all highway measurements in China.  It's the point from which all distances are calculated, and is marked as a compass. 

We then made our way back to the bikes with the aim of going to the Underground City, a network of bombproof tunnels Mao insisted on building in case of a Soviet attack. It contains everything you would need, including hospitals, food and weapons, but it was never used. You used to be able to go in and wonder about, but because the tunnels are unstable and collapsing, that is no longer the case. Thought we'd go and check it out anyway. We took a few wrong turns, got a little lost, and ended up riding the bikes through a pedestrianised shopping street. Dodging people, we made our way in the general direction we thought we needed to go, and got distracted by a Tea shop.

 We stopped to have a gander, and ended up spending the afternoon sipping different teas, and buying the shop out. Thing is, we forgot we were on bikes, and had to figure out how to carry the stuff. The girls in the shop were great and helped us tie it on the bikes with ribbon. Scooter style. With their great work, we managed to get the stuff back safely. The Underground City will have to wait for another day.

We've booked a tour tomorrow to see the Great Wall, so watch this space. Apparently, we have been led to believe, it is more than a pile of stones.

Lama Temple and Olympic Park...

The Lama Temple to the north of the city centre was top of the agenda this morning and it didn't disappoint. One of the things we both have in common is a dislike for museums and historical stuff but the temples here are so magnificent and so spectacular that even we have to look at them. But not for long. Just long enough to think 'cor, look at that' take a few photos and then move on, plus take a few pictures of people doing temple things like praying and making offerings.. A temple is a temple and a bit of old architecture, however colourful and ornate it is, and is just that.

But the Olympic Park is different again. What and amazing creation in the middle of nowhere. An assembly of silver shapes and  structures built for the 2008 games. Remember the Bird's Nest – the main track and field stadium? It was always cool on TV but when you get close to it, it is just mesmerising. It is massive, all steel girders intertwined, and it really does resemble a birds nest. And the aquatic centre looks just like an alien  egg pod, getting ready to hatch.

The whole Chinese thing really comes across on this site. Ok, it was designed by Swiss Architects working with Chinese artists, but it is Chinese through and through,  total self belief  and confidence in themselves and their abilities, a sort of detachment and lack of need for any other nation. It's very powerful but also quite scary, although everybody here without exception, has welcomed us and been very accepting of western visitors.

We didn't go in either – not sure if you can anyway – but we gawped at both, plus the associated additional buildings from the walkway that links them all together. That has become a sort of communal park where families gather, people skate, eat, take pictures and whatever takes their fancy. We got dragged into one official photo to pose with some girls – maybe they thought we'd bring them good luck or something, or then maybe they just thought we were passing sights to behold. But either way, we are now preserved in the official photo records of one resident professional photographer that hangs out there.

It was very strange to at the Olympic Park while the current Olympics is still underway in our home city. That seems to amuse people here too and they can't quite believe that we have come all the way from London to Beijing for no reason other than we just wanted to.

Stopped off at Chaoyan Park on the way back. This was the site of The Olympic Beach Volleyball, but now it is a communal leisure park. All very cool, with people doing whatever they fancy – Tai Chi, weirdo jogging and waving their arms about, sitting on park benches and chatting or just wandering.

TEMPLE OF HEAVEN...

After another relaxing morning we headed for the Temple of Heaven. A temple to pray for good harvest in the centre of a park. As we wandered through the park there were people milling about everywhere. People playing mah-jong, cards, or just chatting. There were groups of people creating flash-choirs, singing what sounded like folk songs, though without understanding it's hard to tell. No-one was bothered by us wondering about taking photos, and mingling with the crowd. Some were as interested in us as we were in them, and put on a show for the camera and allowed us to be part of what they were doing. One of the best bits of travelling is blending in with the locals and being part of things. Them being comfortable with our presence is quite a privileged feeling. It was quite enjoyable just to sit and listen to the music, and watch people play their games. It was much like speakers corner in London's Hyde Park, where people can do they like and no-one is bothered.

We saw the temple, but because of the oppressive heat, we didn't hang around too long. It was quite pretty, with a lot of tourists, but it was soon time to move on. 

From there we went to the pearl market, which contrary to the name, sells more than pearls, though that is a large part of the markets. The sales girls on the whole were characters, and the sales pitch usually on the cheeky side. We bought some t-shirts from 2 girls who were very good at the banter. After we had succumbed, we told them about the trip we had just done. They were so impressed they didn't believe us and wanted proof. So we swapped email so we could do just that.

We bought a few knick-knacks at the market, though none of them pearls as we couldn't afford the ones we liked. Of course. Then we headed back to the hotel where we watched the olympics before going to a chinese restaurant where Nads had Peking Duck, which has to be done when in Peking.

Another great day all round!

Fabbo day!

Very murky and humid today, with tall buildings disappearing into the low cloud. And hot too, although not too bad early , and we got up and out and hired bikes, as we've been threatening to do for a while. It was good because it allowed us to cover a lot of ground, and have a good old explore without the footache, which was a bonus.

One of the best things about today for me was finding the old legation quarter; it is just behind the hotel – literally in the next street, and it is of particular interest to me because my great aunt lived there back in the day, when Beijing was Peiping (before it was even Peking). She lived in the British Legation for a while, which we now know is just off Tienanman Square, having come to China as a nurse in 1924. She moved in when she married; her husband was an ex pat academic who taught at Peking University. She later established herself as a credible photographer and produced photographs for various artists to work from, as well as recording contemporary Chinese life. Her and her stuff is one of the reasons I wanted to finish the Gobi Girls trip in Beijing.

The legation buildings are now all in Chinese hands of course, although most have plaques on them detailing their former use. We found the Belgian and French, American and Swedish buildings but couldn't find the British one, so we gave up, intending to try another day. But then I saw a funny picture- guard peering through a head sized window with his feet sticking below the fence that was covering his body. So I stopped to snap it – and was immediately accosted by by a policeman ' no photo, no photo, give me camera, give me camera'. Nope, not likely mate and I tried to escape but he caught me, even though I accidentally ran over his foot. In the end I did delete the picture as he was so insistent, and he let me go. But unbeknown to him, I'd taken a few and still had them, and when we got back to the hotel and were going through where we'd been and what photos we had, Nadine realised that he was actually guarding the old British Legation. Coincidence or what? I am dead chuffed, both to have found it and to have a photo!! Yahoo. The building is now some important government security building, hence the stringent – but now breeched – security.

Had a good ride through one of the hutong districts. These are little courtyards made of walls between dwellings, and although many are being cleared – they are a bit like courtyard slums with several families living very close together – some remain. They are in central Beijing, and are really higgledy piggledy – apparently they were built like this to keep out spirits because the latter apparently can't turn corners. Mind you, we didn't do much better on our bikes, and had a few close calls, but the locals seemed to find it quite amusing, particularly as we tried out our three words of Chinese on them as we picked our way around the bird cages bicycles and babies being washed in doorways.

Nipped along to the old Astrology Centre too. Its now surrounded by modern buildings but is the home of Chinese astrology and houses eight important celestial measuring contraptions. Not sure what they're for other than measuring celestial stuff and we didn't go in, but I am sure they were very useful. And there was another odd sign there.

Spent the afternoon in the hotel room, watching China stuff everybody else at every olympic sport going, eating crisps and drinking gin and tonic. Well, the heat is tiring.

Now off to Wangfujing – aka Snack Street to inspect scorpions and other insects on offer as delicacies. This could be interesting......

Later..... well snack street didn't disappoint. Imagine a busy high street type road, full of designer shops and people dripping labels, and then stick some little but noisy and crowded alleyway markets on the side and you've got a pretty good idea of what the place looks like. Go down an alleyway and it turns into an Aladdin's cave of all sorts – the usual toot that is found in markets the world over, but then the food, and that is something else. Crazy food.; bats, frogs and snakes on skewers, still wriggling scorpions covered in sauce, tarantulas on sticks, skinned baby chooks, and big black scorpions, roasted but still with claws, all lined up waiting to be bought and scoffed by clamouring locals. It was like a restaurant version of the bar scene from Star Wars,, but neither of us were brave enough to partake. But we did buy a sweet peanutty thing that a bloke offered us to taste. That was good. Also had dinner in a local eatery. Ordinaryish food where you just pick a plate of stuff and they cook it for you. That was OK too.

But the coolest bit of the evening passing the park just down the road. People were dancing , ball room type dancing, in the open space.. Nothing particularly odd about that, except it is very near to a hospital, and there were about 10 patients also dancing, in their pyjamas, in couples or on their own, just for something to do. Beats watching NHS TV I suppose.

Forbidden City...

We finally made it today, although not as early as we'd planned. It was super hot and humid and very crowded, but you can't visit Beijing without seeing the place. It really is magnificent; a whole complex of buildings and courtyards that only opened to the public in 1949. Before then, it was the preserve of Royalty only, and it has been the symbolic centre of Chinese culture since it was completed in 1420. Twenty four emperors ruled over 500 years, until the last one abdicated in 1912.Once you're in, you can wander about freely and most of the buildings are open. It almost doesn't look real though as it's colourful and well kept. It looks almost Hollywood-esque, but this is actually the real deal.

Its named the Forbidden City after one of the gates. Only certain people were allowed to approach it, all others having to stay a minimum of 20 paces away.

 But they were quite organised, especially when it came to fires. On each roof is a collection of roof guardians. These animals are associated with water and so apparently protect buildings against fire. but just in case they got it wrong, these giant iron vats held water to throw on fires, and  in winter they were covered with quilts to stop the water from freezing.

And this stone carving was something else. Carved out of one bit of stone in situ, they sprinkle it with water to stop it cracking. Can't remember any facts about it but it's big and pretty cool.

 We stayed all afternoon but moved at snails pace because the complex is so big and the weather so hot. But that proved to be an excellent people spotting opportunity, Chinese families just doing their thing in the crowd.

 Some really don't dress for sight seeing though. Look at these shoes.

And as usual, things go on to keep the place ship shape. The cleaning people just get on with it, using giant chopstick things to pick up litter. And I'm not sure if these mops were white when they started out, but they were washed and black and drying against the last Emperor's fence this afternoon.

A really entertaining aspect of Chinese tourism are the misspelt signs that abound. Either misspelled or not quite right. Perhaps its just the translation of characters to Latin script that is the problem, but we now have a growing collection of corkers. This is the top one from today.

When it got too hot, we went back via Tienanmen Square to the hotel to chill in the air conditioning. It was still hot at 2100 when we went out to eat. Will def do the bike thing tomorrow.